Back to Nature
by Lonestarr
Summary: Some animal instincts are stranger than others.


Disclaimer: ."Possible Kim" own don't I, you told already I Like

They had tried everything.

So much testing, analyzing, studying. Nothing more than futility.

The creature in the giant habitat looked out at the scientists pacing nervously. He wouldn't pretend that he was skilled in their expertise, but he knew a bad omen when he saw it. After all, it's what got him into this mess.

Arriving back at the camp landed him in a hole. Trying to convince people of the inherent danger only made the hole deeper. Jumping into the grotto that birthed the rampaging threat sealed the hole shut.

It seemed that no one could take Ron Stoppable seriously, even when he was dead serious.

XxXxXxXxX

"Ron?"

The furry ears of the creature twitched at hearing the sweetness of the female voice. He ran over to the glass barrier. A smile appeared on his face. The girl was taken aback slightly by such a human emotion on the face of the oversized beaver, but she knew that she could make her best friend smile.

"Kim. It's so good to see you again."

"So, how goes the life of order rodentia?"

Ron's happy expression changed into one of confusion.

She stifled a chuckle. Apparently, Latin was not his strong suit. "How are you?"

"Can't complain too strongly, even considering…" He gave his body the once-over.

"Well, don't worry. I just know that the scientists can cure you. It's only a matter of--"

Ron put up a furry paw. "Kim, stop."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"It's been, what, four months? Don't you think that they'd have come up with a cure by now?" He paced back and forth. "I've seen Dr. Larkin and his team walking around. I don't know how exactly they work, but I'm not stupid. There isn't a cure for me."

Kim banged on the glass, retaining her best friend's attention. "Don't say that. They can cure you. They cured Gill after that first time."

"It's funny you should mention him." Kim gasped a little. Dr. Larkin stood in the doorway. He glanced at Ron and walked Kim away from the habitat. "The last time, it took about four months to cure Gill. However, that was mainly because of the lake."

XxXxXxXxX

The scientist walked Kim down the hall. "You see, the water managed to thin out the toxicity of Lake Wannaweep. Unfortunately, the grotto was nothing but harsh chemicals. Gill had trace elements of amphibious DNA within him. The grotto activated the trace elements, leading to…well, that." In their walk, they ended up in front of another room.

Kim looked through the window of the door. There she saw Gill, much bigger than his last rampage. He resided in a giant tank of water. His hands were encased in a metal manacle. A smile seemed to form on his face. It's almost as if he knew she was looking at him. (Then again, how could one's eye _not_ be drawn to him?)

XxXxXxXxX

Dr. Larkin and Kim made their way back toward the room with the habitat. "Your friend's DNA, on the other hand, was basically unspoiled. The findings of my team revealed that there were traces of beaver DNA along the walls of the grotto and that they seeped into the…er, muck. We have a sample in the lab, but we haven't been able to make heads or tails of it."

Kim rushed in front of him. "What exactly are you saying?"

The scientist adjusted his glasses. "Well, it's fused with his DNA. We're trying the best we can, but it doesn't seem like a cure can be found in the near-future."

A look of sadness flashed across her face. She composed herself and took a breath. "Can I have a moment alone?"

"Certainly. I'm sure your friend…"

"No. With…" She jerked her finger toward the door at the end of the hall. "…it."

"I don't think that would be wise."

XxXxXxXxX

"_Trust me. I can handle him."_

Kim quietly stepped into the room. There were machines all around. They seemed to be monitoring his heart rate.

The cylindrical tank before her was a sight. Even so, she refused to be put off by the entity inside.

"So, Gill, how's it floatin'?"

All he offered in response was a deep stare. He squinted and held his manacle up, as if to offer an obscene gesture that she couldn't see.

"What, no taunts?" Kim had visited the lab every day. As her previous visits demonstrated, the mutated delinquent possessed a gift of gab. However, he seems content to float quietly.

"I know you can hear me." The creature turned away from the redhead. She gives the glass tank three taps. She knows how much amphibians hate that.

"It must drive you crazy to be locked up here. You obviously wanted power, but what good is it in this aquarium?"

"Why are you even here?" His voice reverberated off of the tank's walls.

"To see Ron. To ask if they've found a cure."

"Then you're even dumber than he is. There is no cure." He turned around to face the girl. "Don't you get it? The dorks here tried the same cure from the first time. Obviously, you can see how well it worked."

"Well, they're working on a cure as we speak." Kim forced as much confidence as she could into her voice. She wasn't about to let some bulked-up salamander get under her skin.

"Please. Even the squeeb knows the score. They're just wasting time."

Kim scowled. "If these scientists can't find a cure, or if anything happens to destroy the one they might concoct…" She balled her hands into fists. "…well, I know a few science club members who would love to dissect a subject like you."

He stared at Kim. "You can't be serious--"

"As a stroke. Just because you crapped away your life doesn't mean I'll let the same thing happen to Ron." The look on the girl's face suggested that she was not to be messed with.

XxXxXxXxX

The days since the Wannaweep incident continued as they usually did for Kim: school, cheerleading, thwarting villains. Of course, none of it felt quite the same without her best friend. Also, much to her surprise, there were times when she, albeit briefly, considered the thought that they could be more than that.

It had been a trying cheer practice with the squad. Kim wearily slung her backpack on her arm. All she wanted was to head home and rest.

"Hey, Kim. Good practice."

"Yeah. Later, Tara." The redhead took a few steps toward the exit.

The blonde girl put a hand on Kim's shoulder. "You know, any time you wanna talk or hang out, just let me know, okay?"

The best she could offer was a half-smile. "Thanks, Tara." Kim continued her way out.

"_I just don't think she's pulling her weight."_

"_Leave her alone. You know how tight they are. She's affected by this more than anyone."_

"_Correction, Tara: she's the _only _one affected by this. I don't believe this: Possible's loser friend turns himself into a giant badger, or whatever, and now's she's all weepy. Boo-frickin'-hoo." _It is this comment that stops Kim in her tracks.

Bonnie closed her locker door. "I'm just disappointed that Stoppable wasn't turned into a mosquito. Those things only live for a day."

The next sound either of the girls heard was of the brunette being slammed into a locker. Kim grabbed onto Bonnie's forearms, a murderous glint in her eyes.

"Kim, please don't do anything harsh." Tara tried to pull the angry girl away from the brunette, but she shook her hands off.

"Yeah, K. Wouldn't want you out of school like your freak of a friend."

The redhead tightens her grip on Bonnie. "Don't you dare talk about him that way."

"You're hurting me." Bonnie's tone was more annoyed than frightened.

"That's the point", she spat.

"Kim, hurting Bonnie isn't going to help Ron. Besides, if it wasn't for your stupid rivalry, you'd have seen what was going on." Tara took her aside. "Ron was your best friend, and you wouldn't listen to him. Well, listen to me, now. Would he want you doing this?"

The redhead bit back tears as she slumped down. Tara wrapped her in a hug.

"I'm sorry, Tara."

Bonnie dusted herself off and picked up her backpack. "And don't I get an apology? It might make up for the assault charge I was planning to file…"

Tara snapped her head toward the "victim" and scowled deeply. "Oh, stuff a sock in it and keep it there!"

The brunette put her hands on her hips as Tara helped Kim to the door.

XxXxXxXxX

"Your parents have been visiting, haven't they?"

"Every day. You just missed them. Mom tried to keep herself from crying, but you know how mothers can be." One could scarcely blame Mrs. Stoppable for her sadness. It had been her suggestion to send Ron to camp as a child.

"Ron. You will be cured. I just know you will."

"You know, Kim? I've got the ability to read people."

Her eyes widened. "Wow. Is that a side effect of the mutation?"

"Nah. I've always had it. I know how people work. I saw it in you when we first met. I saw it in Monty Fiske, and I see it in the scientists. I notice when they visit me, not one of them can look me in the eyes. One would think that it's because of…" He gestures to his large frame. "…you know? But the first couple months I was here, they looked me in the eyes; back in the days when there might have been a chance."

Kim narrowed her eyes. "So, what, you're just giving up? That's not the Ron Stoppable I know."

He turned around and stared at his new home. "Giving up is just when there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm just facing reality. Have a nice life. At least one of us will."

She banged on the glass and stomped out of the observation room. No doubt about it: Kim was mad. At Ron for accepting this as his fate, but more at herself for allowing this to happen. She probably couldn't have stopped the competition from occurring, but it was well within her power to sense that some things were amiss.

XxXxXxXxX

Talking to her family did little to raise her spirits. They tried to tell her that it wasn't her fault, but she knew they were just humoring her. In talking with her mom, she let it slip that she had felt something more than friendship for Ron. With the kind of warm, knowing smile that comes quite often in motherhood, Mrs. Dr. Possible told her daughter that she'll know the right thing to do.

She had been surprised that her mother's advice would lead her back to the facility the following day.

Kim walked up to the habitat. She gave the glass divider a light knock with her left hand.

Ron arose from the water and shook himself dry. As strange as it felt at first, he grew to accept and enjoy the ritual. "Oh. Hey, KP."

"You know, Ron, I was wondering…"

"What?"

She gestures to the habitat. "Sure, you've got a nice little set-up, here: food, shelter, your own lake. But what about companionship? I mean, doesn't it get lonely in there, sometimes?"

Ron rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, sometimes."

"Wouldn't it be nice to have someone to talk to; someone to share your life with…like a girlfriend?"

"It's a pretty thought, KP, but where am I gonna find a girl who would want a guy like me? Also, aren't there laws against that kind of thing?"

Kim exhaled. "What if there was a girl like you?"

"Right," Ron scoffed. "Where am I gonna find one of those?"

Up to this point, Kim's right hand was clutched behind her back. Ron was so involved in the conversation that he didn't notice. Her hand shifts to in front of her. In it was a beaker filled with a glowing green substance. "Closer than you think."

Ron's eyes goggled.

"You know that stuff that made you like this? There was a sample in the lab for analysis." A wicked smile crept onto her lips. "And since you're so convinced that there's no cure…" She closed her eyes and poured it on her.

"Kim, no!"

The beaker fell to the floor, its contents missing. The young woman was soon to follow. She had fallen in such a way that her back was to her best friend. Ron banged on the divider. The unbreakable glass lived up to its promise all too well.

He lowered his head and put a paw on his face. A moan freed itself from his throat.

From outside, however, Kim's arm shot into the air, only it looked to be covered in fur. Dark hairs rapidly grew on her other arm. The action repeated with her legs. She stood on her haunches and arched her back. The fur spread all over her body.

A moan of surprise caused Ron to remove his hand. Seeing what was happening to his best friend was like a car crash to him; he was afraid to watch…but couldn't look away.

Kim felt a squishy sensation in her shoes, like walking barefoot on wet sand. She quickly slipped the left one off with her still-covered right foot. She took off the sock and saw that her toes were webbing.

She let out a groan which startled Ron. It felt like her face was made of putty and some invisible artist was reforming the face. Her nose darkened and extended away from the rest of her face. Her front teeth grew to fit her new muzzle. She cautiously ran a claw along the deformed molars…she held her paws up to reveal claws at the end of them.

The fur covering her appendages had gathered around her body. It was so coarse as to rip through her green shirt and blue pants. The tattered clothing fell to the floor, revealing a lithe (if hirsute) frame.

"What's going on? The closet looks like it was jimmied open--" Dr. Larkin couldn't believe his eyes as he saw what was happening before him.

Kim's ears had been tingling since the transformation began, but it seemed like they were finally ready to make their move. They crawled along her head until they rested atop, looking unusual sticking out of her red hair. She twisted as she felt her back crack. After a few moments of struggling, a paddle-shaped tail emerged from just above her backside. She stared at it for a while.

"Kim? What did you do?"

The scientist stared at the creature. "Not a bad question."

She turned her head and let out a nervous laugh. "Sorry about the closet." She walked up to Ron. "I wasn't sure how else to tell you. These last few months have been rough. I missed talking to you without a wall of glass between us. I missed the way you made me laugh, even when what you were doing was ridiculous. I missed you."

"But there's no cure. You'll never be human again. You're like me."

The redheaded beaver walks to the divider and traces a claw along the glass. "'Never be normal.' Isn't that the Ron Stoppable motto?"

Ron stared a bit. "I wasn't thinking of anything like this when I said that, you know."

XxXxXxXxX

It took a lot of work on the parts of their parents, but they lobbied to have Camp Wannaweep turned into a wildlife preserve, where Ron and Kim were able to live in peace. Even more, the two of them were covered by an affidavit that protected them. If any harm came to them, particularly from any wrong-doers who may have met the twosome when they were human, the offenders would find themselves in a world of trouble.

The two of them stood by each other, as they always had and never wavered. The two of them knew that, as long as there was something for them to stand for and overcome, they would never be licked.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: As I've made mention many times, the episode "Return to Wannaweep" is an utter disaster…so why did I write a story based on its most idiotic moment? I'm still trying to figure that out. I mean, they just introduce Ron as a beaver. They assume that the very idea is funny. You wait and wait for some kind of joke, then you realize that this _was_ the joke. Then, they just splash some stuff on him and he's human again.

I could go on forever about the crappiness of the episode, but I won't. This story's just some busywork for Halloween. It may seem half-hearted, but is it really any more so than its source material?

Thanks for reading and reviewing and have a nice day.


End file.
